Invited to open the Buchmesse in Frankfurt, Rovelli then received a revocation letter from the commissioner in charge of the organization because “I dared to criticize the defense minister” Crosetto
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The political controversies are raining down and the world of culture unites around the physicist Carlo Rovelli, whose invitation to represent Italy at the Frankfurt Book Fair has been revoked. “Italy asked me to represent it at the opening ceremony of the Frankfurt Book Fair, but as I dared to criticize the defense minister, my speech was cancelled.” Carlo Rovelli himself denounced it to Ansa, who in his speech on stage at the concert on May 1st in Rome spoke of a possible escalation in the war in Ukraine by attacking, without naming him, the minister Guido Crosetto (who on Twitter asks to be left out of the controversy).
Invitation revocation letter
Rovelli announces a letter received from Ricardo Franco Leviextraordinary commissioner of the government for Buchmesse 2024 which will see Italy as guest of honour: «The clamor, the echo, the reactions that followed his speech at the concert on May 1 make me think, they give me, indeed, the almost certainty that his lesson, which I had so strongly imagined and wanted for the opening ceremony of the Buchmesse with Italy as Guest of Honor, would become the occasion not to savor, guided by his words, the fascination of research and to glance at the boundaries of knowledge, but, instead, to relive controversies and attacks», reads the letter.
«What I feel more than anything else the duty to avoid – and for this I take full, personal responsibility – is that an occasion of celebration and also of just national pride, turns into a cause of embarrassment for those who that day will represent Italy. And I won’t hide from you the hope that our country will be represented at the highest institutional level», writes Levi. «I am inclined to think that you were the first to have imagined the scenarios that her words would have opened up. This certainly does not serve to lessen the weight of this letter. Letter I never wanted to write. I hope, at least, that he can help keep me from losing his friendship», concludes the commissioner, hoping to “soon be able to read a new book” by Rovelli and perhaps meet him “in person”.
Levi: I renew the invitation
«I renew my invitation to Professor Carlo Rovelli to participate in the inauguration ceremony of Frankfurt 2024, to share the beauty of research and the value of knowledge with all of us». Ricardo Franco Levi says it in an afternoon note.
Conte: shame Rovelli exclusion, preventive censorship
«Italy will be the guest of honor at the prestigious Buchmesse 2024, the Frankfurt Book Fair. Carlo Rovelli was first invited to the opening ceremony and then left at home because his ideas against weapons and war could be an “embarrassment”. Let’s call it what it is: it’s preventive censorship. But not even in a book fair is there room for free thought? Not even in the sanctuary of the free exchange of ideas is it allowed to question the single dominant thought? What do we do: do we select our intellectuals to be sure of not offending government officials? What a shame!”. So on Twitter the leader of the M5S Giuseppe Conte.
Sangiuliano: «I didn’t know, no to censorship»
«I learn with great surprise of the story, unprecedented for me, of the physicist Carlo Rovelli invited to open the Buchmesse in Frankfurt and of the subsequent letter from the commissioner in charge of the organization. As Dr. Ricardo Franco Levi himself will be able to confirm, I was unaware of both the participation of Professor Rovelli, whom I don’t know, and of the subsequent change of intentions (…). In general, having suffered censures, I am against inflicting them on others. Perhaps I would add a few other voices to that of Professor Rovelli, that of Pierangelo Buttafuoco, Francesco Borgonovo or Marcello Veneziani». This was stated by the Minister of Culture, Gennaro Sangiuliano, learning from the press the news of the cancellation of Carlo Rovelli’s participation in next year’s Buchmesse in Frankfurt.
Adelphi in solidarity with Rovelli, “self-censorship is serious”
“We would like to declare that self-censorship by the president of the Italian Publishers Association – who had formulated the invitation as extraordinary commissioner of the government – is an embarrassing practice in any country that defines itself as free”. The president of Adelphi Teresa Cremisi and the managing director Roberto Colajanni say so, referring to the letter with which Ricardo Franco Levi, extraordinary commissioner of the government for the 2024 book fair, announced to Carlo Rovelli that his presence at next year’s book fair it had been cancelled. «A serious episode and a decision from which we can only dissociate ourselves, expressing all our closeness to the author» affirm the top management of the publishing house after having underlined that they have learned that «Carlo Rovelli would no longer be worthy of representing Italy, as guest of honour, at the Frankfurt Fair in autumn 2024: an event that will take place in a year and a half. The reason? He expressed free opinions in a public demonstration ».
From Murgia to Ballestra solidarity of culture
Maximum solidarity from the world of culture to the physicist Carlo Rovelli. Tweets are multiplying on social media: «Levi takes away #Rovelli’s voice speaking of institutional embarrassment. This executive creates the embarrassment and it is not only institutional: it is social, constitutional, moral. Levi’s censorship is a point of no return: it legitimizes the punishment of dissent at the request of power» he says Michelle Murgia.
«Solidarity to Carlo Rovelli and maximum alarm for freedom of thought in this country. Very serious” from the writer Silvia Ballestra. «But are the imbeciles unleashed against Rovelli all iron crosettians or do they mate with the third poles? In any case they are pathetic, yet another wave of trolls on Twitter (too many we have seen over the years). They too will pass », says Ballestra.
And the philosopher Donatella Di Cesare he presses: «Solidarity with Carlo Rovelli, the target of Giorgia Meloni’s post-fascist and warlike regime. Standing up for peace means paying a very high price. Shame!”.
For the art critic and essayist Tomaso Montanari «the cancellation of the inaugural lecture by @carlorovelli in Frankfurt is a black and shameful page for Italian publishing. We have to react, we authors and our publishers. By keeping silent, one is complicit in an obscene and servile self-censorship, in a genuflection to power which would be very serious in the face of any government, but which in the face of this government of fascist origin is also a suicidal act”.
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